The new to us 2011 Montana High Country 313RE is worlds ahead of our travel trailer, and as we move things from old to new I came up with a couple of questions.

1. There is a label in the wet bay that says "Tank Fill Power Fresh" on it and has a valve that has "normal flow" and "fill" as seen below.

We are assuming this means that instead of using the manual fill port for the fresh water tank at the rear of the trailer, we can turn this valve to "fill" and fill our fresh water tank from the city water hook up, is this right? Then if we simply want to utilize city water in the trailer we would ensure that the switch is at "normal flow" correct?

Also, this would indicate that the manual fresh water tank fill in the rear of the trailer is a secondary means of filling the tank, correct?






2. We have a "Freeze Guard" hose connection in the wet bay. Clearly this is for RV anti-freeze, but the operation eludes us a bit, so I wanted to check with you all to see if my thoughts are right on the operation of the Freeze Guard feature.

After draining all tanks and water lines from the low points, I turn the water heater bypass to on and drain the water heater. Then, run short hose from the Freeze Guard port into a jug of RV anti-freeze and then turn on the on board 12v water pump and run each faucet until I see the anti-freeze come out. The hose from the port to the jug may need to be primed, but may not be. Once I see anti-freeze at each faucet then I shut the 12v water pump off and clean up.

Does this sound right?

We have used the compressed air method on the travel trailer because access to the 12v pump is difficult in that trailer.

 

you are on target with the freeze guard operation. Be sure to run your shower and flush your toilets.


I drop a little pink In toilet bowl as well.


Leave the hot water heater empty. The bypass should take care of that.


I also leave the fresh water tank drain valve open for the winter.

 

for the other question, I think you need to wait till others chime in with your model in mind. You might also find the answer on the website for your manufacture.


Mine has just one fill point and then valves to either pressurize the system with city water or turn a valve and fill the tank. Only one connection point for the water hose.

 

Also with winterizing, if you have ice maker in your refer, or washer/dryer, or outdoor faucets, don't neglect those either. Lastly, if you have a builtin black tank flush, you are going to want to push some air through that as well.

 

Item 1. Correct, in the FILL position city water is diverted to the fresh water tank for filling. Problem with this setup is there is no automatic shut-off when the tank is full. Lots of horror stories about this function.

 

Is there no slide wall in the front compartment to view Fresh tank with eyeballs on the these rigs?

 

Able, I could see this being a problem when filling. I assume what we will do is just keep an eye on the level of the fresh tank while filling and maybe remove the manual fill cap in case there is a problem or to let air out of the system faster.

Scraprat, the tank is under the trailer mounted between the frame rails.

 

Don't understand comments of concern regarding fresh water pressure fill. All tanks have overflow so it should simply run out on the ground when tank is filled.

Steve

 

There should be an overflow drain. there is on my rig. You still should be around though when filling, as you could still pressurize the tank somewhat. As soon as I start getting water out of my overflow, I turn the water off. I do not have a gravity fill on my Cardinal.

 

mine has the level indicator inside the unit.


Otherwise it is designed with a overflow hose as well.

 

An overflow on the fresh water tank has been standard for decades.

Steve

 

Just sold our travel trailer after only being on Craigslist for 1 day... Nice older couple that plans to use it a lot. It was nice to see it go to a good couple.

Thanks for the advice on filling the fresh tank. I think having the auto fill valve is a great idea and plan to use it in a couple of weeks when I go on a temporary duty to Charleston AFB, if it is still there anyway...

 

Don't be afraid of a little water and wind now.

 

I am sure everything will be fine as long as they hope for the best and prepare for the worst. A friend of mine and I are traveling to the VA medical center tomorrow in Columbia and hoping that we don't get stuck in the evacuation traffic headed inland.

 

Granted but the amount of water coming in can overwhelm the overflow tube. I saw the results of a tank overfilling in a MH where the tank was under the bed.

I understand that the manufactures try to make the things idiot proof but stuff happens.